Revealing the spiritual world and setting the captives free…

Main menu

Tag Archives: home

Post navigation

There was a short time in my life, where we lived in Arizona. We had a small home built in a new subdivision. The boys and I enjoyed watching the workers build the houses.

Better yet, the workers told us that we could have the tiny scrap pieces of lumber if we wanted them, to make some building blocks. All we’d have to do is sand down the sharp edges.

We would walk about the construction areas in the evenings, where they had left piles of such lumber for us to go through, to see if there were any we wanted to add to our collection.

One such evening, while the sun was still up, (the workers had quit early from the extreme heat,) the boys and I went out to go scavenging.

One of my boys came upon a big pile of wood with a choice piece of lumber sitting at the very top. One of my boys climbed up and was about to reach for it, when I sensed the Holy Spirit tell me quite firmly “No!”

So I told him “No! Wait a minute…back up.”

He did. His brother did too.

Then I gingerly went and moved the piece of lumber to one side with the toe of my shoe.

Out popped a very angry young western rattlesnake.

He had been coiled up at first, but was rapidly unwinding himself and was keeping his focus on me.

I asked the Lord what to do, and He told me to have everyone back up slowly at the same time.

So I told the boys to slowly begin walking backwards, away from the snake. As they did, so did I. The rattler was so confused at seeing several different movements coming from all around him, that he didn’t know which one to strike at first. He’d move in one direction, but then swish back to another. This left it too distracted to strike out at anyone. Moments later, we had backed out of its range and out of its sight.

We were very thankful we were safe!

Later I was told by the workmen (whom I had warned about the snake, but they could not find it,) that young rattlers were the most dangerous, for they would strike out at anything, and they would often give a lethal dose of venom, for they had not yet learned to control their poison.

After that incident, I used a very long pole to make sure no snake was near the piece of wood that we wanted, and we left the pieces of wood that were up at the top of the piles alone.

There were many dangerous animals in Arizona that we ran into while we lived there. A puma, (it jumped onto the hood of the car in front of us while we were driving,) tarantulas, a Gila Monster, (they are very dangerous and look just like the plastic models one can find of them,) And a huge (over a foot round in diameter,) poisonous frog that comes up to the surface every few years or so for air. But the Lord protected us from them all.

During Hanukkah our family recalls the miracles the Lord has done for us. This was one of them.

The dream begins with me running on a football field, holding a football. This in itself, surprised me, for I detest football. It was not something I would do, yet there I was, running with the ball. I had a general idea of where the end goal posts were, and I knew I was running in the right direction.

There was no one else on the field that I could see; no one from my team, and no one from the opposing team.

It was in the dead of night, extremely cold, and it was snowing so bad that at times you couldn’t see more than a foot ahead. The wind howled and blew in gusts, swirling about, making mesmerizing patterns in the air. The playing field still had the big lights on, but they seemed to struggle to cut through all the swirling depths of snow.

I suddenly realized, that I did not have to do what I was doing, so I stopped.

I looked up into the bleachers, and could see about a dozen or so people out there. I sensed there were a few more in the bleachers that were out of my line of sight, but that the rest of the fans had given up supporting the game and had gone home because of the severe weather.

I felt very cold and very alone.

Then as I looked towards the other side of the field, I saw a bus depot. I starred at it. Every now and then I could feel the warmth from its doors gust out towards my face. It looked warm and bright, cheery and good.

So I dropped the ball where I stood, and went into the bus depot.

The warmth there felt wonderful!

I sat there on one of their benches, and watched as loads of people would arrive in a bus, and then transfer themselves onto another bus that would take them on to heaven.

Oh the stories they shared were amazing! They all talked among themselves, explaining from where they had come and how they had got there. The bus driver always interacted with them, and seemed to be very happy with what he heard. There were smiles and oohs and ahs, as the people shared their stories. I listened with rapt attention, whenever a bus rolled in.

As I sat there on the bench and waited for my turn to get on the bus, I faced the football field. The door was as big as a single garage door, and was made of metal. For what seemed like ages, the door remained steadfastly open. But then one day I noticed that the door was slowly closing.

The scene upon the field never changed; every once and a while I’d feel a gust of that frigid cold weather upon my face and shiver. I’d look out into the darkness, but I could not see anyone else out there.

One day I noticed that the door had only a foot or so left to go before being fully closed. But I didn’t care. I had long ago decided never to go back out into that mess again. I had no doubt that where I was, was the best place to be.

A while later, (which seemed like many days without end,) the door finally clicked shut.

The days then seemed to extend on forever, me watching those happy revelers climb onto the bus bound for heaven, and wondering when It would be my turn to get on.

Finally, when I was beginning to wonder if it would ever be my turn, they called my name.

I walked up into the bus, expecting to be able to share my story with everyone else on the bus, but there was only one other person on that bus besides me and the bus driver, and she sat huddled down in the very back, and was unwilling to talk to me. The bus driver also refused to talk with me; he couldn’t even bring himself to look at me.

Then I realized with a pang, that he was ASHAMED of me!

As the bus began to depart from the depot, I woke up.
*

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Isaiah 40:31 ESV “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Matthew 24:13 ESV “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
TO BE CONTINUED…

The night before this incident, I had been listening to a song that pointed out that what others see in us may be the only Jesus they see. I pondered over this, and prayed that I too, would be like Jesus to others.

I went out to run some errands, and almost ran into another car. The Holy Spirit tried to stop me from going out at that moment, (I sensed Him saying “wait!”,) but I went ahead anyways, figuring it was just my imagination, and not really Him speaking. I was making a turn onto the road and then getting into the left hand turn lane. I looked and could see no cars, so I went. When I was almost in the turn lane, I seen another car in the rear view mirror on that side, (had he hit me, he would have hit my left back tire area,) and I swerved back into the other lane for a moment, (thinking he would then drive past me,) but instead he let me go back into the lane.

The first thing I did was thank Jesus that we had not hit each other, and then continued driving.

Then I realized the man was following me.

He went everywhere I did, and I tried to go to different places to lose him, (perhaps it was just a coincidence that he was still right behind me,) but soon realized that this was no coincidence, and he was stalking me.

I prayed to Jesus to help me, as I pictured all sorts of horrible things happening to me; being shot, being beaten, (satan had fun with this one,) and I pictured myself laying in a hospital bed and having to be there for months just to heal. The worst part, was thinking that this would hinder my children’s faith in Christ.

Then Jesus told me to bind up the man’s demons in His name, so I did.

I called up my husband and told him all that had happened, and he directed me to the nearest CHP office.

On my way there, I thought back to the nightmares that I have had, where someone tries to physically attack me, and somehow the Holy Spirit in me is able to diffuse the situation. As this was like a real live nightmare, I prayed that the Holy Spirit would help me in this real world situation too. I was shaking so badly that it was hard to drive safely, but I was too scared of this man to stop. One of my boys thought I should call 911, but I didn’t sense I was supposed to do that. Finally I came to the CHP and drove in, but there was no one there. They were closed.

I felt all alone.

Then the man drove in behind me and blocked my only way out.

I was trapped!

My husband was still on the phone, (I wanted a record of what happened, just in case,) and so I waited for the man to do what he would do.

He got out of his car and just stood there on the drivers side, motioning with his hands and saying something I could not hear.

So I opened up the window half way.

He looked as if his anger had deflated somewhat, (I sensed it was because I had bound up his demons,) but he immediately began yelling at me, saying “What the *?!?* happened back there!”

So I told him, “I’m sorry! I didn’t see you!”

He held up his hand then and said, “Stop! You just told me what I wanted to hear.”

I stared at him in amazement.

He said, “All I wanted from you is an apology.”

I looked at him in shock. “You mean you chased me all over this city just for an apology?!”

“Yes.”

He then proceeded to tell me about his awful day, and how this near accident had happened to him several times already today, and that mine was the final straw.

I said, “oh you poor man, and then when we almost hit…oh, I am so sorry; I never wanted to cause you any harm at all!”

“Oh,” he said, holding out his arms wide, “you can hurt me all you want, but I won’t let you touch those in this car!”

I said without thinking, “I’d never want to harm you or anyone; it’s against my religion!”

He didn’t say anything to that, he just stood there looking at me.

“I still believe,” I said to him, “that Jesus must have sent down an angel to help keep our cars apart from each other, we were so close!”

He reiterated how he had almost hit me, and how he was responsible for others in the car with him, and that even they were upset over the near hit. He made it sound like I was a very bad person because I had purposely done this to him and his loved ones. (His wife and child were sitting quietly in the car while he verbally ripped me apart.) I thought to myself that my driving record was still pretty good (thank You Jesus!,); the last time I had a fender bender, (it was a scratch in a parking lot,) was over thirty years ago. This guy looked like he hadn’t even spent thirty years upon the earth yet. Apart of me wanted to argue with him, but I was still too afraid of him so I remained silent.

He finished with his attack and then said that he was o.k. now, and was going to go, as he was all right, and (as an afterthought?) I was all right, and that neither one of us was hurt. “See?” he said to me, “that’s all I wanted to do.”

I said to him “May God bless you and give you a better day!”

And then he drove off.

I sat there for over an hour, waiting for the shaking to subside, (I did not feel safe to drive while I shook so much,) and then I went to finish my errands. As I did, I prayed for him and all those in his car, asking the Lord to bring them to Him and make believers out of them. I seen something in him that I once was; a seeker of justice at any cost, even at the cost of others I loved. I felt sorry for him, being buffeted to and from by the winds of chance, and being toyed with by satan. I remembered what it was like, being so affected by such evil, and having to face it without Jesus. There is an emptiness that is always there, along with that self-righteous demon to feed, and a feeling of always somehow being behind everyone else in the rat race and trying in vain to catch up.

When I got home, some of my kids were incensed on my behalf, saying “He had to have been speeding, Mom! There is no way anyone could sneak up on you that fast on that stretch of road without going over the speed limit! Either that, or he came out of a side road just as you did, and tried to get into the same lane as you. You were not the only one at fault, Mom; if you guys had hit, he would have been at fault too!”

“Yeah,” said my other son who had almost come with me on the trip, “I wish I would have been there with you; I would have told him a thing or two! I wouldn’t have let him speak to you like that! I would have called 911 and gotten the cops there to cite him a ticket for road rage!”

A part of me is glad my son did not come with me that day, (guess he stayed home for a reason!,) for things would have come to a very different conclusion had he been with me.

I sensed that the Lord Jesus wanted me to pray for him and his family, and that they needed my prayers and my blessing very much.

I found myself wondering if the Lord had set the whole thing up to happen, just so I would pray for them.

“No Ma Pettite,” He answered me. “I did not.”

Then the piece of scripture that talks about all things working out for the good of those who love Christ Jesus came to mind.

“But I will take the moves of the adversary and use it to my advantage,” He tells me.

I thought of those in the car with him, remembering how it feels to be held captive in a car with an angry driver. Those poor people! Then I wondered what kind of man would drag his loved ones around on such a chase, just to fight for an apology from a stranger. He had no way of knowing that I would do him no harm. I could have been a different person and had a gun and even threatened him and those in his car with it. He obviously was not thinking too clearly either, to take such risks just to placate his self-righteousness demon.

“He was a man who was filled with demons,” came God’s reply.

*

It was several days later, when I realized why what this man did to me is considered an actual crime all its own.

I found that even just the thought of getting into a car again to go somewhere, left me shaking, dizzy, and wanting to toss my cookies. I could not even walk at the thought of driving, because I shook so badly. I started to cry, feeling like a helpless victim, chained down to the house, and unable to go out any more. It was horrible!

I pictured myself having to go to therapists for years and years, and even then not gaining much freedom from the sessions.

But then the words “helpless, victim, therapist” and especially the word “chained” stood out in my mind, till I realized that somehow, someway, I had picked up some demons, and it was the demons that were doing this to me.

I immediately calmed down, and asked someone in my family to cast out the demons from me, and anoint me with the blessed olive oil. The moment they did, I felt at peace once again.

Just to be sure they had really left me, I brought along someone else in the car with me, the next time I went out to run errands, so they could help me fight off the demons if need be. But they are gone for good. Praise Jesus! Truly there is great freedom in Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Looking back upon the incident, there were times when I felt like I had just let the man and his demons attack me, and that I should have stood up for myself more. This left me feeling frustrated all over again. Finally I went back to the Lord Jesus about it. He then reassured me that I had done exactly as He had wanted me to do. That removed the last of the frustration, and left me with a sense of relief.

Would you pray with me for that man and his family? Pray that they would all come to Jesus and be set free from all the demons that plague them. Pray that they too, would experience the freedom that is found only in Jesus Christ!

*

Romans 8:28 (GNV) “Also we know that all things work together for the best unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose.”

Psalm 23 (KJV) “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

Proverbs 3:25-26 (GNV) “Thou shalt not fear for any sudden fear, neither for destruction of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be for thine assurance, and shall preserve thy foot from taking.”

Psalm 27:1-3 (KJV) “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host pitched against me, mine heart should not be afraid: though war be raised against me, I will trust in this.”

Isaiah 54:17 (KJV) “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”